


I found peace in her embrace

by dragonesdepapel



Series: How many fics can I get away with using the same concept [1]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Catra (She-Ra) Redemption, Choose Your Own Ending, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Hopeful Ending, Post-Season/Series 04, Sharing a Bed, it's hard tagging for three possible endings lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:53:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24081622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonesdepapel/pseuds/dragonesdepapel
Summary: Bow and Adora reunite after the events of 4x13. The sword is broken, She-Ra is gone and so is Glimmer, but, for some reason, Catra is there. And she doesn't leave.A fic with three possible endings.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Series: How many fics can I get away with using the same concept [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1787275
Comments: 20
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sadiewrites](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sadiewrites/gifts).



> So when I was writing this I couldn't quite decide on which path to take, so now you get all three! None of them ended up quite where I thought they would lol. There's a more indulgent ending, a more "realistic" one, and one in between. Hope you like all of them! You can click on the links at the end of this chapter or just go chapter by chapter. (They get more hopeful as you go, in case you are like me and like to end in the happiest note possible lol.)
> 
> I babbled a bit on the notes at the end of each chapter because idk, the process writing this fic was different than it usually goes, so I'm giving myself room to talk about it. Knowing me, I'll probably come back and delete them later lol  
> 
> 
> This is a gift for sadiewrites, who is not allowed to read this lmao Not until she watches the last episode of the season at least!! (But I'll send her a screenshot of this note.) She helped me make my phrasing clear in some places and she heard me whine about this fic. A lot. She also made me laugh a lot, and there's an alternative timeline out there where I ended up putting this fic on hold and writing one where Catra seduces Adora to steal her sword instead. Love you hon, you are the best <3 <3 <3 Oh and if you like percabeth, go check out her last fic, it's super cute.

She feels a hand on her shoulder and, when she looks up, Bow is there. Suddenly there’s nothing she can do but to throw herself in his arms. Bow catches her like he always does. They stay like that for a few seconds, Bow holding onto her as hard as she’s holding onto him. 

“She-Ra is gone, the sword is broken,” she practically whispers, and it takes everything she has not to break down sobbing right then and there. 

“We have other problems,” Bow says, stepping out of her embrace. 

Before she can even think about it, Adora jumps into a defensive position, shielding Bow with her body. 

“What are you doing here?” she growls. 

Bow stops her, hand on her shoulder once more. 

“It’s ok, she’s with me.” 

She would turn around to look at him in disbelief but, as it is, she can’t afford to take her eyes off Catra. She’s standing there, arms crossed, and a grimace on her face. Her right arm looks like it’s been hurt. Adora doesn’t back down. 

“Adora, Glimmer is gone.” That gets Adora to look back at him. “I went to find her, but I wasn’t fast enough. There was a beam of light, and suddenly she – and Hordak – were gone.” 

She has to blink away the tears. Another failure. Who knows where Glimmer is right now? Who knows what she’ll have to go through? 

She tries to concentrate on the present threat. “That doesn’t explain her.” 

“Before the beam of light, Hordak attacked Glimmer. Catra jumped in front of her. If she hadn’t...” 

Bow trails off, not meeting her eyes. It’s too much. The sword is broken, She-Ra is gone, so is Glimmer, but Catra is here? She can’t deal with this right now. 

“Let’s go home,” Bow says, and Adora feels like she’s hearing him from so far away, but she manages a nod. “We can figure out where to go from here tomorrow.” 

Adora follows him, and she doesn’t look at Catra, doesn’t even think about Catra, not once they are back in the castle and she has found her way back to her room, and not even after that. She doesn’t think about Glimmer or She-Ra, and she even forgets about the sword after she sets it down. 

She goes to bed and, for once, she doesn’t think about anything as she falls asleep. 

Except that it’s a lie, it’s all a lie, and her mind won’t stop spinning about the word _gone_ _gone_ _gone_ , and how do they even know Glimmer is still _alive,_ and the _sword_ , the broken sword is screaming at her from where she shoved it under a pillow to try and escape its accusatory call. 

She gets up and leaves the room, trying to outrun her own thoughts. 

Her luck, of course, lands her in the worst possible place she could find herself in right now. 

Bow is talking to king Micah, deep in explanation judging by the way his hands are moving, accompanying his words. King Micah is a bit dazed but is trying his best to follow along. There’s a couple of guards standing by the farthest door. A bit away from their group, Catra is resting against the wall. 

“I’ll take Catra,” she says, way too loud, way too quickly, way before she has even thought about what this means for her. 

It startles Bow and the king, who hadn’t heard her approach them. 

“Ooookay,” Bow says slowly, looking at her with wide eyes. 

“Great,” Adora says, marching forward before anyone can say anything else. 

She grabs Catra’s hand and gets out of there without looking at anyone’s face, least of them Catra’s. To her surprise, she finds no resistance, and soon the door to her room is closing behind her. 

She turns towards Catra, determined to...ok, she doesn’t actually know what her objective is here. But this is Catra, in Bright Moon, and Adora isn’t just going to stand around, waiting for whatever evil plan she has to unfold itself. 

“What are you doing here?” 

Catra rolls her eyes. “You brought me here?” 

Right, why did she think this was going to be easy? 

“Cut the crap, Catra,” she snaps. “I’m not in the mood for any of your mind games.” 

“What do you want from me, Adora?” Catra yells back, throwing her hands in the air. 

She looks ready to start a fight but the words claw directly at Adora’s heart, exposing her raw. It sucks the breath out of her lungs, and it leaves her with nowhere to hide. She doesn’t want to fight. She doesn’t want to yell. She doesn’t want to keep arguing with Catra. She doesn’t want to unmask all the things, all the hurt that lies between them. 

“I want my best friend back,” she whispers. 

It’s probably a mistake, to show herself as vulnerable as this, but she’s so tired and so so hopeless. What’s the use of pretending anymore? 

Catra rolls her eyes again and steps further into the room. “Such a crybaby. Is this what the Rebellion has made of you?” 

But of course, being honest with Catra has never led her anywhere. “Why did you save Glimmer,” Adora tries again, ignoring the jab. It’s gotten old. 

“I wasn’t saving her, I wanted to take Hordak out.” 

Adora arches an eyebrow, but no further elaboration comes. She sighs and goes to sit on her bed. 

“Why did you come here?” 

Catra’s nostrils flare, and there’s a dangerous glint in her eyes, but she answers. 

“Why are you so obsessed with me, Adora?” 

Now it’s Adora’s turn to roll her eyes. “Right, because inviting the Horde’s second in command to our base of operations without asking any questions is obviously a very sound strategy.” 

Their eyes lock, but it only takes a few seconds before Catra looks away, and then sits next to Adora on the bed. 

“it’s not like I had any other options.” 

It doesn’t look like she’s willing to say more, but Adora waits for it anyway. 

Catra looks at her with pure hatred in her eyes before speaking again. “Hordak and I didn’t leave things in the best terms,” she says through gritted teeth, “The Horde is in shambles, and I doubt anyone on this whole planet stands a chance against Horde Prime anyway.” 

“And yet you are still here.” 

Catra shrugs, and some of the tension seems to disappear from her shoulders. 

Adora throws herself back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She doesn’t feel like Catra is lying, but how can she trust her? And what can she do anyway? Catra might be being truthful, she might be playing with her, waiting to enact some secret plan. But what’s the point? As Catra said, they are doomed anyway. They are doomed, the planet is doomed, and Glimmer is... 

“If you start crying, I’m leaving.” 

Adora wipes her face angrily, ashamed at her own weakness. Catra is right, what is wrong with her? She’s a mess. She guesses she deserves whatever Catra has in store for her anyway, if this is how she’s going to handle it. She takes a deep breath and decides to let the night take her wherever it’s supposed to take her. She’s powerless to stop it anyway. 

Adora turns a bit, looking curiously at Catra. “Why haven’t you? Left, I mean. You didn’t even resist me bringing you here in the first place.” 

Catra lets herself flop down on her back too. “Would you have let me? I figured it was easier this way.” 

Silence settles over them again, but it’s different this time. Easier, almost...comfortable. There was a lot of silence, back at the Horde. There had to be, they shared a room with a dozen other people after all. 

“I meant it, you know,” she says after a while. “I do miss you.” 

She can practically hear Catra’s eyes rolling. 

“You are not getting me to say it back.” 

Adora makes the effort to make her voice sound every bit of smug she doesn’t feel. “You don’t need to.” 

She knows she’s fooling herself. Catra has never missed an opportunity to hurt her, both physically and emotionally. She has done unspeakable things. She... 

...she has reached out to grab her hand. Just the faintest, softest of grasps. Slowly, Adora intertwines their fingers together. Neither of them speaks. They both keep their eyes fixed on the ceiling. 

“I hope Sparkles is smart enough to tell Horde Prime that she’s part of a giant superweapon,” Catra says. 

“Why would she do that?” Adora asks, thrown off by Catra’s chosen topic. 

Thinking about Glimmer is enough to turn the slight fluttery feeling that had taken over her back into dread again. 

“So he won’t dispose of her immediately,” Catra replies, tone heavily implying that Adora is an idiot. The answer makes Adora’s heart sunk even further. “That should give you some time to figure out how to barge in and have She-Ra save the day.” 

That does it. Adora’s heart turns to stone. “You didn’t hear? She-Ra is gone.” 

It makes Catra turn on her side to look at her, but she doesn’t get up from the bed. “What?” 

Adora rolls too, back facing Catra. She lets her hand search the floor until she feels the hilt of the sword under it. She draws it back and sets herself back on the bed, this time face to face with Catra. She doesn’t say anything, she just offers the sword to her. Catra hesitates for a second, then takes it. 

“How?” 

Adora swallows down the knot in her throat and forces herself to answer. “The weapon, it would have destroyed all of Etheria, and everything around it. She-Ra was the key...it was the only way.” 

Catra twirls the sword around, and Adora’s heart doesn’t even flip. She’s past that tonight. She gets so lost in watching Catra fidget with the sword that she misses the moment tears start falling down her own face. It was probably around the time Catra brushed her thumb over the runestone. The problem is, once she starts crying, she can’t seem to stop. Tears are pouring from her eyes at an alarming rate. Her chest is seizing with sobs. She feels like she can’t breathe anymore. 

Adora barely notices it when she’s tugged by the hand, her body drawing forward. But when she finds something solid pressing against her, she wastes no time in burying her face in it. It shakes her out of it enough to make her remember Bow’s lessons. She tries to focus on what she’s feeling. There’s a hand on her waist, and another one is tangling itself up in her hair. Adora uses her own hands to hug Catra as strongly as she can. She thinks about how _Catra_ _is hugging her_ , she’s letting Adora _bury her head on her chest_ and the bewilderment at this new turn of events lets her finally get out of the loop of panic that had taken over her. 

It doesn’t mean the crying stops though. It’s not as violent as before, and she’s barely shaking now, but the tears keep coming out of her eyes anyway. She supposes there’s nothing she can do but wait it out. She keeps her breathing even. The voice in her head that helps count them sounds exactly like Glimmer’s, but she doesn’t let herself get stuck on that thought. She tries to relax her hold. She thinks _it’s ok,_ _Catra’s_ _here._ How long has it been since she’s had that thought? 

Eventually, the tears stop too. She doesn’t move, of course. She has no idea of what’s going on between Catra and her right now, but she’s dealing with so much. She’s already trying not to fall apart under the pressure of everything that went wrong today, everything that _she_ did wrong. She doesn’t want to fail this too. It's been so long since she’s had Catra so close. If she wants to move away, Adora will let her, but the first move will have to come from her. Adora is too tired to pretend to be strong. And maybe that’s wrong too, but isn’t it just like her? To fall apart, to fail, to never be enough. If Catra is plotting something then that’s it, Adora is done for. What’s the use of her anyway, now that She-Ra is gone? She’ll fuck up one last time at least, letting herself have this. 

“I thought you said you’d leave if there was crying.” 

It takes Catra a few seconds to reply. Her voice sounds a bit strained. “Kinda hard with the way you were holding on, princess. I wouldn’t be surprised if you broke one of my ribs.” 

Adora hugs her tightly once more. Is it to prove a point? Is it just because she can? She doesn’t know. The hands on her hair and waist aren’t pushing her in anymore, and Catra’s body has turned rigid against hers. It’s probably not a good sign. 

“Thank you,” she whispers, sure that it’ll be only seconds before Catra pushes her off the bed. 

But the shove never comes, and neither does an answer. 

“What happened with Hordak?” 

“We aren’t having a heart to heart right now.” 

That makes Adora chuckle, and she finally feels strong enough to let go of Catra. She repositions herself on the bed to be face to face with her. She gets as close as she can, noticing the way Catra’s pupils turn into slits. 

“Are you sure?” 

Catra still doesn’t answer, so Adora dares get even closer. 

“He might have been under the impression that Entrapta had betrayed him and joined the Rebellion.” 

The effect the words have on Adora is immediate.

[She kicks back, almost throwing herself off the bed.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24081622/chapters/57960064)

[She freezes in place, unable to do anything but stare at Catra in horror.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24081622/chapters/57960007)

[A cold feeling spreads across her body, from her chest to her fingertips.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24081622/chapters/57959980)


	2. Chapter 2

The effect the words have on Adora is immediate. She kicks back, almost throwing herself off the bed. A hand stops her right before her back loses contact with the mattress and pulls her in. She’s face to face with Catra again, their hands stiff between them. She knows Catra’s expression all too well. She’s daring Adora to reject her and, in a way, she already has. 

Adora lets go of her hand, and lies back on her back, staring at the ceiling. 

She sighs, “Where do we go from here?” 

She looks sideways at Catra. She’s farther away than Adora thought she would be. 

"There’s nowhere we can go from here.” 

Tears surge up in Adora’s eyes again. She blinks them away, and looks the other way. She’s done enough crying for one night. 

“I don’t believe that,” she whispers because she can’t afford to have her voice crack right now. 

“What you don’t want is to believe it. Because you are Adora, and you are stubborn, and you believe you can fix anything.” 

Her voice definitely cracks this time. “Maybe it’s true, maybe I can.” 

She feels Catra shift next to her, and Adora’s heart stops. But she’s just adjusting herself so she’ll be flat on her back too. 

“You can’t fix us.” 

“Why?” 

Catra’s sigh is full of impatience. Adora’s been pulling at her edges too much tonight, and she must be ready to snap at any second. 

“Because you can’t! I know everyone here thinks you are this perfect princess who can do nothing wrong, but you aren’t _actually_ perfect, Adora!” 

Adora lets out a watery laugh. “Yeah, right. No one around here thinks that. It’s a shame you missed Glimmer, she would’ve been glad to tell you how much of a fuck up I am.” 

The conversation is getting out of control. It isn’t surprising, given the day Adora has had, and the fact that she is having it with Catra of all people, but still. She won’t let herself lose control again. She shuts her eyes tightly, feeling how uncomfortable it is. She breathes deeply. 

“What if I don’t?” 

“If you don’t what?” 

“What if I don’t fix us. What if we stay like this?” 

“This isn’t real, Adora.” She can hear the exhaustion in her voice. 

“Then what is it?” 

It takes a Catra a second to reply. “I don’t know.” 

Getting Catra to admit that is a victory on itself. Adora won’t ask for more. She contents herself with enjoying the presence of Catra next to her, the slight dip on the mattress that used to be so familiar to her before. She keeps breathing. She closes her eyes, finally ready to let sleep claim her. 

She lets her hand fall between them, a little away from her. When she wakes up, the tips of her fingers are brushing against Catra’s. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really, really like this ending, and I'm sad I couldn't manage to make it longer? But I felt like it would've missed the point. They can't fix anything in one night. It's gonna take a lot to make things right between them. But Adora is willing, and Catra...Catra has a lot to deal with in this fic lol I think that Catra's first instinct (when not overrun by her self-destructive impulses) is to survive. So in an universe where she survives Hordak, but she doesn't get aboard Horde Prime's ship, what is left for her? When Bow decides to take her with him, it's the logical choice to follow him, even if it's just to betray them later. But there isn't a clear goal for her to accomplish, something that will guarantee her needs are met. Then she gets Adora trying to get close to her, something that isn't even close to her priorities right now. So she's mostly relying on her emotions, and she's not the best at that lol


	3. Chapter 3

The effect the words have on Adora is immediate. She freezes in place, unable to do anything but stare at Catra in horror. Once the shock has worn off, she’s able to recognize the expression on Catra’s face. It's one she knows too well. She’s daring Adora to reject her. She even thinks that, in a way, Adora already has. 

Adora sighs. “Where do we go from here?” 

Now it’s Catra’s turn to freeze, noticeably caught out off guard by the answer. 

“I’ve told you what I want,” Adora says, feeling bold enough to reach forward and tug a strand of hair behind Catra’s ear. She doesn’t know how long she’ll be able to get away with this; how much she’ll be allowed to push the boundaries of this place she’s found, between their old familiarity and the feeling that this is a completely new person lying before her, but she’s determined to find out. “What do you want?” 

Catra closes her eyes, looking almost pained. She lets out a ragged breath. “What do you think you are playing at, Adora?” 

Adora frowns. “I want to understand you. Did you ever think we would end up like this?” 

“Of course not. But it wasn’t me who ran off to the forest and found a magical sword.” 

“Yeah, you were just the one who stayed with the evil side even though you knew what they were doing was wrong,” Adora can’t keep the anger off her voice. She doesn’t know if she wants to. 

Catra sits up abruptly, her movement putting space between her and Adora. She crosses her arms. 

“So what, Adora? I did what I had to do, and you’ll never understand that. Do you want me to apologize? Do you want me to beg? There’s nowhere to go from here.” 

She stands up to leave, but Adora stops her by grabbing her wrist. 

“I don’t want that, Catra, I don’t want any of that. I just want you. I promise.” 

It’s the wrong answer. Catra yanks her hand out of her grip and looks at her with resentment. 

But she doesn’t leave. 

“I want you to stop pretending everything is ok. That this is just something for you to fix.” 

Catra’s chest is rising and falling as if she had just finishing an intense training session. Adora nods, not trusting herself enough to talk. Catra nods back. It’s a quick, sharp motion that looks almost painful. Her lips are pressed forcefully and her breaths are still labored. Slowly, deliberately, Adora lowers herself to the bed again. After a few moments, Catra does too. 

“So...” Adora says, unable to take the silence. 

Catra groans. “Please don’t screw this up.” 

A smile tugs at the edge of Adora’s lips. Catra wants this to work as badly as she does, even if she won’t admit it. 

“I won’t, I was going to ask if you were ready for sleep.” 

“Yeah, sure,” Catra says, sarcasm dripping from her voice. 

“What, I was!” 

“Was not,” challenges Catra, and Adora swats lightly at her shoulder. 

Now that she’s said it, she realizes how exhausted she is. The idea of moving, or talking, or _thinking..._ No, Adora has reached her limit for the day. It’s probably a good thing, since Catra seems to have reached hers too. 

But of course, Adora being Adora, she can’t not push herself to do one little thing more. She inches even closer to Catra, and waits. She’s practically holding her breath while she waits to see what Catra will do next. A part of her wants to throw precaution to the wind and wrap her arms around Catra, holding her close. But she knows that would be stupid. It didn’t work back when they were friends sharing the same bed, it won’t work now that they are...this. What she has to do is wait. 

There’s no one more surprised than her when it works. So carefully that she almost doesn’t notice at first, Catra gets closer. She comes as far as letting her head rest on Adora’s shoulder. Adora wants more. She relaxes her posture so Catra can get comfortable. She tangles their legs together. Her hand is itching to join Catra’s, but that’s a boundary better left uncrossed. 

Finally, Adora lets out a deep breath. Tomorrow, Adora will have to deal with all of this. Glimmer, She-Ra, Etheria. The whole universe is at stake. But for tonight she can close her eyes and sleep, knowing that Catra will be there when she wakes up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is the route I would've picked if I had to settle on one before writing all the others. Also there was a moment there when I was struggling with the last ending where I liked this one over the other two? Now I'm not so sure. I've been looking at this thing for days and my sense of it is completely screwed lmao But I had a respite from the stress of school and I didn't know how long it was going to last, so I decided to write it out and post it, and suffer the consequences later. (I put this thing through so many online editors to make sure it was at least half decent lol)  
> But, you know, they can't make things work out in one night, but in this one at least they are both aware that they -want- that. Adora screws up but Catra has enough emotional maturity to deal with it. She can even express some needs of her own. I think it's a good compromise.


	4. Chapter 4

The effect the words have on Adora is immediate. A cold feeling spreads across her body, from her chest to her fingertips. Once the shock has worn off, she’s able to recognize the expression on Catra’s face. It's one she knows too well. She’s daring Adora to reject her. She’s _waiting_ for Adora to reject her. 

Adora sighs, tiredness seeping deep into her bones. “Ok.” 

Catra's cracks for a second, and lets a bit of curiosity show through. “Ok?” 

“Yeah, ok.” 

There’s a frown on Catra’s face now. “What do you mean, ‘ok’?” 

Adora shrugs the one shoulder that isn’t trapped against the mattress. “That it’s ok. What else can I say?” 

She takes the silence as a sign that it’s the right answer. She’s rewarded a few moments later, when Catra is the one to pick up the conversation again. 

“So you are just going to let it go?” 

“Yup,” Adora makes sure to pop her p extra hard, knowing full well that it drives Catra crazy. 

Catra looks at her dubiously. “Are you sure you can do that?” 

“Yes, Catra, I am sure,” Adora says slowly, indulging her. 

Catra is still looking at her with suspicion, “That doesn’t sound very Adora-like of you.” 

“Maybe I’ve changed.” 

"Yeah, sure,” Catra snorts. 

“Excuse me!” Adora says, her voice rising. 

She reaches blindly behind her until her hand finds a pillow. She gets on her knees and launches an attack against Catra, who has already armed herself with a second pillow and is ready to block it. 

“What are you, six?” Catra says, dodging a second swipe. 

Adora doesn’t answer, too focused on trying to land a hit. At first, Catra settles for trying to avoid her. But Adora doesn’t let up. Soon Catra turns as vicious as Adora in her attacks. When it becomes clear that no one is going to win this fight, Adora loses the pillow and lunges for Catra instead. She catches her by the midriff, toppling her to the bed. Catra tries to defend herself with her pillow, but Adora grabs it with one hand and pushes it down to the mattress, trapping Catra’s hand under it. 

“Admit I might’ve changed!” 

“Seriously, Adora?” 

Catra uses her free hand to push Adora’s face. Adora retaliates by pinning it down too. 

“Admit it!” 

Catra sticking her tongue out at her is all the answer she gets. 

Adora lowers herself. “Maybe I need to show you exactly how much I’ve changed,” she coos right beside Catra’s ear. 

She’s forced to pull back immediately, overcame by a fit of giggles. She rolls away, releasing Catra, who punches her on the side. Hard. 

“It’s not funny!” 

“It’s kind of funny,” Adora manages to say between bouts of laughter. 

It takes her a while for it to go away. Catra stares at her the whole time, her eyes full of disdain. 

“Are you done?” 

“Maybe,” Adora answers, still a bit drunk with giddiness. 

Catra crosses her arms. “You know what? Maybe you are right, maybe you have changed.” 

“Yeah?” 

“I think you are actually dumber now.” 

And what can Adora do but throw herself at her again? Previous encounters have shown that every time she opens her mouth around Catra, she only makes things worse anyway. She’s such a different person now. One Adora can barely believe used to be her friend. But she wants to believe. She wants to believe that the Catra she knew is still there. That maybe she made mistakes, maybe she was misguided, but that she still wants to redeem herself. She wants to believe that there’s a point to all this. That there’s a point, in the future, where this will be behind them too. She’ll do whatever she needs to see it happen. 

So instead of talking, she wrestles with Catra again. They don’t need words for that, and both new and old habits are quick to kick in. They thrash around for a few moments, both trying to get the upper hand on a game neither of them can name. Adora ends up hovering above Cara again. She’s straddling her, her full weight pinning Catra down on the bed. Catra’s eyes have an intensity that makes them impossible to decipher. Adora leans down, stopping inches away from her face. Catra reaches for her, closing the distance between their lips. It’s a demanding kiss, filled with so many emotions that Adora can’t even begin to untangle them all. She can feel Catra holding back though, and she does too. 

Adora waits until her lungs are burning from the lack of air to draw back. She doesn’t go too far though. She kisses Catra’s cheek, and then her jaw, and then the underside of it. She kisses her neck and presses her face against her collarbone. Under her, Catra is still. Her hands are on Adora’s arms, their grip firm. They aren’t pulling her in, but they aren’t pushing her away either. 

“I really, really, really don’t want to screw this up,” Adora says against Catra’s skin. “I know I don’t understand you. I know I’ve hurt you. But I want to do better.” 

The answer takes a while to come. “Ok.” 

Adora lets out a breath. Catra shivers when it touches her skin. 

Adora pulls back, “Ok?” 

Catra closes her eyes, a frown appearing above them. “I’m not like you, Adora, that’s the best I can give you.” 

“Ok,” Adora rushes to say, “that’s ok.” 

Adora leans down again, and, like before, lets Catra be the one to close the space between them. She does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This version is the last one I wrote. It was the second one I came up with but like ten minutes after deciding to write all three possibilities and seeing where they took me I completely forgot what I was supposed to do with the "happier" ending lmao That happens to me a lot. So at some point of dying because I couldn't finish the other two I decided to rewatch The Promise hoping it'd inspire me? And it actually did! Also it hurt.  
> Anyway I think now this one is the version I like the most? Like three hours ago it was the one I hated the most though so who knows, I'm a mess. I really hope I did a good job making them transition through different emotions and it doesn't look like I just said "ok now kiss" lmao I also hope it's just a decent piece of writing in general, maybe it doesn't seem like much but for some reason it really challenged my English. Some days are like that though, the second language function just refuses to cooperate with you ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> It's a sillier one, and Adora does a little too perfectly here. Like I think a core part of her character is that she never truly understood Catra. She never saw the Horde for what it really was. She has the bad habit of projecting her own versions of people onto them. I don't think she's at the point where she realizes that yet, but well, this is my fic, and for one night she can.

**Author's Note:**

> I thought this was going to be a super easy fic to write because the plot was a super self-indulgent one but guess what? It wasn't! Sadiewrites can give proof of it lol And, like I said, it ended up going in a complete direction than I thought it would be. But it's written, and I'm happy, because stress from school has been killing me these last few weeks and to finally get the energy and motivation to sit down and write felt so nice. It would mean a lot if you let me know which ending you liked best, but if not, I just hope you liked it!


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